_ Cholesterol Drug Good for Diabetic WomenΓÇÖs Hearts By Sondra Forsyth article The cholesterol-lowering drug fenofibrate cuts cardiovascular disease risks by 30 per cent in women with type-2 diabetes, according to a study done at th University of Sydney in Australia and published in August 2014 in Diabetologia. A release from the university quotes study chairman Professor Tony Keech as saying, "The finding is good news for women. The study shows that fenofibrate reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, or having a stroke or other adverse cardiovascular event by 30 per cent in women and 13 per cent in men."
_ Heart Health Good Neighbors May Curb Heart Attack Risk By Sondra Forsyth article Although some studies suggest that the factors such as area violence and noise can negatively affect cardiovascular health, few studies have looked at the potential health enhancing effects of positive local neighborhood characteristics. This prompted the authors of an article published in 2014 in BMJ to track the cardiovascular health of over 5000 US adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two thirds were women and married (62%).
_ Heart Health Mayo Clinic Challenges Cholesterol Guideline By Sondra Forsyth article A Mayo Clinic task force has challenged some recommendations in the updated guideline for cholesterol treatment that was unveiled by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) in 2013. The task force concludes, based on current evidence, that not all patients encouraged to take cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may benefit from them and that the guideline missed some important conditions that might benefit from medication.
_ Brain Health Digital Literacy Reduces Cognitive Decline By Sondra Forsyth article Congratulations, ThirdAge fan! The fact that you are at your computer reading this means that you are among the digital literati ΓÇô and that accomplishment promises to lower your risk of cognitive decline as you age. Researchers led by Andre Junqueira Xavier at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina in Brazil have found that the ability to engage, plan, and execute digital actions such as web browsing and exchanging emails can improve memory. The results were published in July 8th 2014 in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Medical Sciences.
_ Highly Drug Resistant Pathogen in Ohio By Sondra Forsyth article A team of clinician researchers has discovered a highly virulent, multidrug resistant form of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patient samples in Ohio. Their investigation suggests that the particular genetic element involved, which is still rare in the United States, has been spreading heretofore unnoticed, and that surveillance is urgently needed. The research, which was done at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was published ahead of print in August 2014 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
_ Aging Well Foods That WonΓÇÖt ΓÇ£FrailΓÇ¥ You By Sondra Forsyth article By Robert Ashton M.D. With aging comes frailty. The more frail we are, the more likely we are to get sick or die from chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and other leading causes of death. If you can slow the debilitating process, then you have a shot at living not only a longer life, but a healthier one too.
_ Vision Health ΓÇ£Seeing'ΓÇ¥ Through Virtual Touch By Sondra Forsyth article Surprising results from University of Cincinnati research could lead to new ways to help the visually impaired better navigate everyday life. Visual impairment comes in many forms, and it's on the rise in America. The University of Cincinnati experiment aimed at this diverse and growing population could spark development of advanced tools to help all the aging baby boomers, injured veterans, diabetics, and white-cane-wielding pedestrians navigate the blurred edges of everyday life.
_ Aging Well Genes That Protect Against Frailty By Sondra Forsyth article Frailty is a common condition associated with old age, characterized by weight loss, weakness, decreased activity level and reduced mobility, which together increase the risk of injury and death. Yet, not all elderly people become frail. Some remain vigorous and robust well into old age. The question remains: Why?
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Fast Food Redeemed: Beyond Burgers and Fries By Sondra Forsyth article By Dr. Kevin J. McLaughlin Across the United States, North America and throughout the world, the impact of the fast food industry has really overtaken our collective culinary culture. It has driven demand, competitive pricing for fast meals and disease rates right through the roof in the U.S. To put it bluntly, fast food is one of the main reasons why Americans are getting fatter, sicker, and living with high morbidity as they age. This trend is also occurring within a much younger demographic than ever before.
_ Doctors Often Don't Talk to Patients about Aspirin By Jane Farrell article Although the health benefits of aspirin have been proven, there arenΓÇÖt many doctors recommending it to patients at risk of heart attack or stroke. Researchers from the University of Rochester based that conclusion after studying a national sample of more than 3,000 middle-aged patients, both men and women. Most of the participants said they couldnΓÇÖt recall their doctor telling them to take aspirin.
_ Interval Walking Best for Diabetics By Sondra Forsyth article Research done by by Dr. Thomas Solomon, and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and published in August 2014 in Diabetologia suggests that training with alternating levels of walking intensity, known as interval training, could be better than walking at a constant speed to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
_ Medical Care Pharmacists Could Boost Drug Adherence By Sondra Forsyth article Community pharmacists can dramatically help their patients stick to their prescription regimens, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. The findings, published on August 4th 2014 in Health Affairs, suggest also that greater adherence to medications can lead to a reduction in emergency room visits and hospital admissions, thereby lowering health care costs for a variety of chronic conditions including diabetes and asthma.
_ Living With and Treating Peripheral Artery Disease By Sondra Forsyth article If you have P.A.D., you may feel pain in your calf or thigh muscles after walking. Try to take a break and allow the pain to ease before walking again. Over time, this may increase the distance that you can walk without pain. Talk with your doctor about taking part in a supervised exercise program. This type of program has been shown to reduce P.A.D. symptoms.
_ Obesity Clue to Curbing Obesity By Sondra Forsyth article Preventing weight gain, obesity, and ultimately diabetes could be as simple as keeping a nuclear receptor from being activated in a small part of the brain, according to a study done by Yale School of Medicine researchers andp ublished in the August 1st 2014 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).
_ Obesity Hope for the Overweight & Diabetics By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers in Germany and at Harvard have succeeded in distinguishing the various types of fat cells in the body on the basis of their surface proteins. This discovery is raising hope for a new method to treat those suffering from obesity and diabetes. The team was headed by Dr. Siegfried Ussar from the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center/ Helmholtz Zentrum M├╝nchen, partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), and Professor C. Ronald Kahn from the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School.
_ Heart Health A Non-Invasive Procedure That Helps Heart Patients By Jane Farrell article A minimally invasive procedure can significantly reduce the likelihood of heart disease-related deaths among adults with atrial fibrillation. A long-term study from the University of MichiganΓÇÖs Frankel Cardiovascular Center found that the procedure, catheter ablation, helps atrial-fibrillation patients lower their risk of dying from a heart attack or heart failure.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Tree Nuts Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels By Sondra Forsyth article Eating tree nuts appears to help lower and stabilize blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes compared to those on a control diet, according to a study done at St. MichaelΓÇÖs Hospital in Toronto and published July 30th 2014 in the online journal PLOS ONE. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pine nuts and pistachios. They do not include peanuts, which are legumes.
_ Investigators Discover a Glucose-Controlling Enzyme By Jane Farrell article Researchers have zeroed in on a neural mechanism that is key to sensing and controlling blood glucose levels. The investigators, from the Yale School of Medicine, said that the finding could eventually lead to new treatments for diabetes.